We have new T-shirts! Based on the design of our new logo, these t-shirts represent the fresh image of MassBike. Get yours in time for Bay State Bike Week and let the world know that you support Better Bicycling for Massachusetts. These beauties will run you $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

[caption id="attachment_18909" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Aaron Naparstek"][/caption]Those of us in the MassBike office can hardly believe that after all of the preparation and excitement, Bay State Bike Week is just around the corner, and with it will come MassBike's central event - the Bike/Walk Summit! MassBike and co-sponsor WalkBoston are pleased to announce that StreetsBlog founder and former editor-in-chief Aaron Naparstek will be giving a lunchtime keynote presentation.

A little about Mr. Naparstek:

AARON NAPARSTEK is a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University and the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog, an online publication providing daily coverage of transportation, land use and environmental issues. Launched in 2006, Streetsblog has played a significant role in transforming New York City transportation policy and galvanizing a worldwide livable streets movement that is pushing for a more people-centered, less automobile-oriented approach to transportation planning and urban design.

As a neighborhood livable streets advocate, Naparstek’s work has been instrumental in growing New York City's bike network, removing motor vehicle traffic from city parks, and developing new public spaces. Prior to launching Streetsblog, Naparstek worked as a journalist and interactive media producer, and he is also the author of "Honku: The Zen Antidote to Road Rage" (Villard 2003).

We hope you can join us for the Summit. Please let us know by Monday, May 14th if you can make it (to give us time enough to order lunch for everyone). See below for details on registering. Together, let's get Beacon Hill moving!

Your calls and emails in response to our Action Alert made a difference. Thanks to all of you and our advocacy partners for getting the word out! While we did not get the bill out of the Joint Committee on Transportation, we did get an extension until June 1st. Between now and then, we will continue working with the committee to move the bill forward.

We are particularly pleased that the bill will still be in play for the Massachusetts Bike/Walk Summit on Thursday, May 17th during Bay State Bike Week. The Summit gives us a great opportunity to educate legislators about the Vulnerable Road Users Bill and other legislation to protect bicyclists and pedestrians, and you can be a part of it by registering for the Summit.

Your political and financial support makes MassBike's work possible, so please consider joining or donating today.

Last September, I reported that a motorist had intentionally hit me while I was riding to work. Fortunately I was not hurt, but my bike was totaled. As the victim, I wish it had never happened, but as an advocate I decided to learn from the experience how the legal system works and whether it would protect me and hold the driver accountable. It took awhile (seven months) for the case to move through the legal process, from the initial report, to the investigation, to the filing of charges, to a hearing, and finally to a resolution.

I think the system worked in my case, though not in the way I originally expected. I had initially hoped to see the driver convicted in court, but after weighing the options carefully I chose to attempt mediation offered by the Boston Municipal Court. The case was finally settled this week. I know this result will not satisfy everyone, but I feel that it served my purpose. My primary goal was for the motorist to publicly take responsibility for what he had done, and he did. As part of the settlement, the motorist, David Monahan of Roslindale, MA, made the following statement:

On September 13, 2011, I intentionally struck a bicyclist, David Watson, with my car while he was stopped at a red light in Boston. I purposely pushed Mr. Watson's bicycle with the bumper, pushing it completely out of the road as the light turned green. I cannot undo what I did, but I can and do accept full responsibility. In addition, I extend my sincere apology to Mr. Watson. This incident has served as a real wakeup call for me to be a more responsible, law-abiding, vigilant and aware driver. This is especially necessary in Boston where motorists like me must learn to share the roadways with a growing number of bicyclists.

Having talked face-to-face with the driver, I believe his statement is sincere - that he made a very bad choice and regrets it. I also believe he genuinely wants other motorists to learn from his mistake and do more to protect bicyclists. And I think for a motorist to say these things sends a powerful message that violence against bicyclists is wrong and will not be tolerated.

I hope other bicyclists will share their experiences dealing with the legal system. From my perspective, the system can protect us and hold drivers accountable, but the process is not quick or simple. The legal system has many hurdles built into it that must be cleared by any victim, bicyclists included, but patience and perseverance can lead to a fair result.

We are excited to announce that the Westin Waterfront, presenting sponsor and venue of Bike Night 2012, has graciously allowed MassBike to extend tickets sales to Bike Night until May 2nd. Space has been filling up fast but there are still a few more spots so get your tickets soon. Tickets can be purchased at MassBike.org or by calling 617-542-2453. To learn more about Bike Night check out this link. We hope to see you at the party!

We filed the Vulnerable Road Users bill in January 2011 as the next step in our ongoing legislative efforts to protect bicyclists and other vulnerable users of our roadways. The bill would increase fines for motorists who kill or injure vulnerable users, and would require road safety education and community service teaching others about interacting safely with vulnerable users.

We have been working diligently behind the scenes on Beacon Hill since the bill had its first hearing last June in the Joint Committee on Transportation. The bill remains stuck in the Transportation Committee.

In early March, we submitted a streamlined redraft of the bill, clarifying its purpose and making it easier to understand. Later in March, with the deadline to report bills out of committee looming, we lobbied for and got a 30-day extension for the bill. That extension expires May 1st.

TODAY, we need you to call or email your State Representative and your State Senator:

Call or email your State Senator and ask him or her to ask Senator McGee, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation to report favorably on H3079 before May 1st.Click here to find out who your Senator is and how to contact him or her.

Call or email your State Representative and ask him or her to ask Representative Straus, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation to report favorably on H3079 before May 1st.Click here to find out who your Representative is and how to contact him or her.

Email action@massbike.org to let us know who you contacted.

If your senator or representative is actually a member of the Joint Committee on Transportation, it is especially important to contact them today!

Our national partners reported late last week that the US House of Representatives passed yet another extension of the current transportation legislation SAFETEA-LU. Whereas past extensions have been passed at the midnight hour, this one preemptively extends the expiration date from July 1 to September 30. The primary reason for this extension is to give the House and Senate time to take the Senate's transportation bill, MAP-21, to conference committee. This will allow the two chambers to work out the details of the legislation.

Unlike past "clean" extensions, this one has policy changes. The good news is that the programs that matter most to biking and walking are untouched. The bad news is that the policy changes have to do with controversial issues like the Keystone Oil Pipeline, so it is unclear how the Senate will react. America Bikes described the next steps like this:

So what's next?

This time, instead of just prolonging current transportation law, the House and Senate will conference this extension with MAP-21. Leadership in both chambers are discussing who will be 'Conferees.' Once all the Conferees are named, the two chambers could start work to reconcile the differences between the two bills and create a new transportation bill. Once the conferenced bill has passed Congress, President Obama can sign the bill into law.

When House and Senate go to conference, the two chambers will technically negotiate to reconcile the differences between MAP-21 and current law. Conference Committees are a black box, though, and sometimes what comes out doesn't resemble what went in.

We will need to be vigilant and advocate to Conferees, leadership and all members of Congress to preserve dedicated funding for biking and walking, including Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School, and Recreational Trails. We will also promote the local control provisions of the Cardin-Cochran amendment to MAP-21.

We keeping in close touch with our national partners to send out an action alert when the time is right. The good thing is that this extension gives some time to determine our next moves. Hopefully, biking and walking will come out unscathed from this process. As usual, we will depend on your voice to make sure that is the outcome.

A couple of weeks ago, we posted about a story contest to help us make the case for biking to our elected officials. This is a reminder that the deadline for story submission is coming up this Friday, April 27. The stories will be judged based on the strength of the emotional appeal to supporting bike programs and infrastructure. The top three winners will be awarded the following prizes:

These stories will be used not only for the Bike/Walk Summit, but will also form a foundation for a database of such personal stories.

The Bike/Walk Summit

You can read more about the summit here, but in brief we are going to be asking our state legislators to support bills currently being considered that would improve biking and walking in Massachusetts. For more information, please contact events@massbike.org.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recently awarded MassBike funding through the Community Transformation Grant, which promotes active living in eight counties outside of the Boston area (see map below). We at MassBike are excited to have this great opportunity to serve communities around the state, and look forward to leveraging this expanded capacity to better serve our regional chapters and bikers from Cape Cod to the Berkshires.

About The Grant

The purpose of the Community Transformation Grant is to promote system and policy changes which improve the ability to lead healthy, active lives. On our end, that will mean working with municipalities and community groups to undertake built environment assessments and provide trainings on how to positively impact local infrastructure. We can provide services in the communities listed below; if you are interested in hosting a training, you can contact bikeinfo@massbike.org.

[caption id="attachment_18773" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Interning is one of the oldest forms of education - a medieval baker with his intern."][/caption]

With the changing of the seasons comes the sad departures of our current interns and a new effort to fill the void left behind. What would MassBike be without its interns? The symbiotic relationship we have formed with the strong work ethic and unbridled enthusiasm of our college aged apprentices has led to some great things. This past semester, we have made huge strides forward on two projects, the Bike/Walk Summit and an update of our Bicycle Statistics page.

The two positions of critical importance just so happen to also be two fantastic opportunities for learning. We are looking for an Events Marketing Intern to assist with our outreach efforts, and an Education and Advocacy Intern to help with our bike safety and advocacy trainings. If you are interested in either position, email bikeinfo@massbike.org to apply or get more information.